Page 155 - Training for librarianship; library work as a career

TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP
and use is fundamental. Secondly, the litera-
ture is so complex and is being so continually
displaced by new material, that a thorough
familiarity with medical nomenclature and
a good knowledge of medicine and of the
more important aspects of medical practice
is equally essential.
Indeed it may be noted that the adminis-
tration of medical libraries is generally in
charge of graduate physicians, and that medi-
cal librarians invariably lay greater stress on
knowledge of medicine and of medical litera-
ture than on library technic. This may be
due as much to the fact that but few of those
at the head of medical libraries are graduates
of hbrary schools as to the failure of the
schools to give any special training for those
who plan to work in medical libraries. How-
ever, those who are charged with the technical
work of the medical library are invariably
graduates of library schools or have had ex-
perience in libraries. But the important fact
to note is that training is essential. Courses
in medicine, and if possible graduation from
a medical college with supplementary train-
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